On September 8, 1976, the night of late summer and early autumn was already a little chilly, and endless darkness enveloped the earth. It was late at night, but no one in Zhongnanhai was able to sleep peacefully. In Chairman Mao's room, medical personnel came and went, their expressions serious, and an invisible hand clutched everyone's heart.
On this day, the Central Committee sent three special urgent telegrams to inform the relevant leaders of Chairman Mao's physical condition.
Chairman Mao, 83, lay in bed, sometimes awake and sometimes drowsy, and his physical illness tormented the once beautiful old man to a bone. Death came by night, and despite the desperate efforts of medical personnel to rescue him, he was unable to take Back Chairman Mao's life from the hands of Death.
In the early morning of September 9, Chairman Mao let out his last breath and fell into a permanent sleep.
The people who guarded the chairman day and night seemed to have lost their souls in an instant, all piled up on the ground, and the room was full of crying. There was one person in the crowd who cried the most sadly, cried several times and passed out, and when he woke up, he sank into mourning, and this person was Chairman Mao's confidential secretary, Zhang Yufeng.
For many years, Zhang Yufeng has been accompanying the chairman in Zhongnanhai, and in the chairman's later years, he has been waiting for him. In Zhongnanhai, only Zhang Yufeng dared to talk back to Chairman Mao, and when Chairman Mao's eyesight declined and he was unable to view confidential documents, he let Zhang Yufeng read it to himself. She and Chairman Mao are not father and daughter, but like father and daughter.
How did That Zhang Yufeng know Chairman Mao? Why did Chairman Mao trust Zhang Yufeng so much?
Went to Zhongnanhai to serve as Chairman Mao's secretary
Zhang Yufeng was born in a poor peasant family, when she was a child, the family was particularly difficult, Zhang Yufeng went to school for six years, the family can no longer afford to support her future tuition, the sensible Zhang Yufeng gave up her studies and returned home.
The income of the family's Bo Tian could not maintain the family's life, and Zhang Yufeng came out to look for a job at a young age.
It happened that at this time, the railway bureau was recruiting, and 14-year-old Zhang Yufeng went with the mentality of trying it out, and did not expect to be hired. Since then, Zhang Yufeng has become a railway passenger attendant.
Because it was the first job in his life, although it was very hard, he had to face different passengers every day, but Zhang Yufeng never complained. She follows the train through the motherland every day, sees the customs and customs of different regions, and her face is always full of smiles, and all she sees from her is the vitality and enthusiasm of youth.
It is precisely because Zhang Yufeng is conscientious and conscientious about her work and has been praised, she quickly got the attention of the leadership.
In 1960, the Ministry of Railways went to Zhang Yufeng's train to select special train personnel, Zhang Yufeng was recommended by the leader, successfully selected, and since then became the head of the central government and the conductor of the special train of foreign heads of state.
Soon, new opportunities came.
Chairman Mao's special train needed a waiter, and the leader thought of Zhang Yufeng, and when he asked Zhang Yufeng about his wishes, Zhang Yufeng agreed without thinking. It was a great honor to be able to become a waiter on the chairman's special train, and in this way, Zhang Yufeng was selected as a staff member on Chairman Mao's special train.
From this time on, Zhang Yufeng was able to occasionally come into contact with Chairman Mao.
In her impression, Chairman Mao was a tall, mighty, and spirited old man.
While working on the special train, Zhang Yufeng met a thick and honest young man, Liu Aimin.
Liu Aimin's attitude towards work is the same as Zhang Yufeng's, he usually does not like to talk much, and he is obsessed with work.
Zhang Yufeng and Liu Aimin often work together and have known each other since they came and gone. In the process of getting along, the relationship between the two quickly warmed up, so when Zhang Yufeng was 24 years old, the two held a wedding, officially married as a couple, and had their own small family.
A year later, the two children were born. Since both needed to work, the child was entrusted to Liu Aimin's mother.
Because of work, Zhang Yufeng sometimes did not go home for several months in a row, could not see her children, Zhang Yufeng was also very painful, thought of giving up, but under the encouragement and support of her mother-in-law and husband Liu Aimin, she still gritted her teeth and persevered.
The busy and calm life was soon shattered again.
One sunny morning, Zhang Yufeng was cleaning the carriages, and the conductor came quickly and stopped in front of her. Without waiting for Zhang Yufeng to speak, the conductor said, "You are going to Zhongnanhai today, and someone wants to see you." ”
Zhongnanhai? Isn't that where the president lives? Who wants to see me? What's the matter? Zhang Yufeng had many questions floating through his mind.
But she didn't even ask for an exit, she didn't even freshen up and dressed, so she followed the conductor to Zhongnanhai.
In Zhongnanhai, Zhang Yaoci, the head of the Central Guard Regiment, and Wu Xujun, Chairman Mao's head nurse, met with Zhang Yufeng, and after some understanding, Wu Xujun asked: "Would you like to come to Zhongnanhai as a waiter?" ”
Hearing this question, Zhang Yufeng's heart beat violently. Serving Chairman Mao in Zhongnanhai, what a Chinese dream it is to see Chairman Mao every day! She replied in a trembling voice, "I do!" ”
In this way, Zhang Yufeng officially entered the work of Zhongnanhai in 1970.
Soon after, Chairman Mao's confidential secretary Xu Yefu died of illness, and after examination and approval by the central authorities, Zhang Yufeng became the chairman's confidential secretary again. Unexpectedly, this work was 6 years, and Zhang Yufeng accompanied Chairman Mao in the last days of his life.
Called "Zhang Fei's descendant" by the chairman
After Zhang Yufeng entered Zhongnanhai, he saw that Chairman Mao, who had once been full of vigor, was already full of white hair, his face was pale and haggard, and he was very weak, and he couldn't help but feel sad in his heart.
Once, a small cold caused Chairman Mao's bronchial inflamed and coughed night and night. However, Chairman Mao believed in doctors and did not believe in medicine, did not listen to doctors' advice at all, did not take medicine, and often smoked, and as a result, his condition worsened and turned into lobar pneumonia.
Although the head nurse told him every day to smoke less and be good for his health, as soon as the addiction came up, Chairman Mao couldn't help but want to take two sips, and after two sips, he had to cough for half a day.
Zhang Yufeng looked in her eyes and felt very sad about the chairman, so she thought of ways to make the chairman smoke less every day. She often hid the chairman's cigarette, and Chairman Mao could not find it for half a day, calling her to look for it, and she also pretended not to find it, forcing the chairman to lose his temper several times.
However, Zhang Yufeng's temper was even greater than that of the chairman.
Because Zhang Yufeng was thinking about himself, the chairman had to give up, endure the addiction of smoking, and smoke less.
Chairman Mao
Zhang Yufeng did not understand nursing and did not understand medicine, but in order to take better care of the chairman, she worked while teaching herself nursing. Under Zhang Yufeng's careful care, Chairman Mao's health also began to improve day by day, which also made Chairman Mao trust Zhang Yufeng even more.
However, Zhang Yufeng's temper was not small, and Chairman Mao, who was still angry, once dismissed her.
One day, zhongnanhai came to the guests, everyone was busy greeting the guests with a smile on their faces, and Zhang Yufeng, as the secretary of the chairman, should treat the guests warmly. However, Zhang Yufeng had a stinky face all day, and Chairman Mao criticized Zhang Yufeng when he saw her appearance.
Unexpectedly, when Zhang Yufeng heard Chairman Mao reprimand himself, his temper became even greater, and he kept frowning his eyebrows, staring at his big eyes, and defending himself with one sentence on the left and one sentence on the right. Chairman Mao saw that she did not want to admit her mistake at all, and her temper suddenly rushed up, her wrinkled face became red, and she also stared at her eyes, and with all her strength, shouted at Zhang Yufeng: "If you are not happy, just roll me!" ”
Zhang Yufeng froze at once, she did not expect Chairman Mao to let her leave Zhongnanhai, but she quickly returned to her senses and returned in a louder voice: "Roll and roll, who does not let me go is a puppy!" ”
After saying that, he simply cleaned up and left Zhongnanhai without turning his head.
After returning home, Zhang Yufeng felt very uncomfortable and stayed at home for more than 20 days and did not want to go out. During the period, Zhang Yaoci came to her and asked her to write a check to admit her mistake to Chairman Mao, and even if this matter passed, zhang Yufeng was uncomfortable in her heart, but she was very stubborn, she shook her head and refused, and did not write a word.
Until she found that she had some clothes left in Zhongnanhai, but she did not want to go back to get them, so she would meet the chairman again, so she called the head nurse Wu Xujun and asked her to send the clothes over.
Wu Xujun did not heed her request, but said to her: "You wait at home, don't go anywhere, someone will pick you up and take you back to Zhongnanhai." ”
Zhang Yufeng knew that the chairman asked her to go back, and she did not refuse this time, so she went around and returned to the chairman.
When she returned to Zhongnanhai to see the familiar old man again, she deliberately showed a calm and indifferent face, but Chairman Mao smiled and took the initiative to say to her: "Work seriously, work conscientiously, and be on the verge of breaking new ground, you are really a descendant of Zhang Fei, this time it is considered to be the second into the palace, and you should pay more attention to it in the future." ”
Zhang Yufeng looked at the kind Chairman Mao, like his father, speaking softly to himself, and immediately cried out, and the struggles and grievances that had accumulated in his heart for dozens of days were released at this moment.
After this, Zhang Yufeng treated the chairman more conscientiously and responsibly, and she could better understand the chairman's thoughts, and often did not need the chairman to say anything more, she could know the meaning of the chairman's heart.
This time, Zhang Yufeng returned to the chairman with joy, but after she gave birth to her second child, she hesitated.
Chairman Mao was very happy: friendship is a sight
In the winter of 1972, Zhang Yufeng was pregnant with her second child, and Chairman Mao was very happy to know about it, and specially explained that Zhang Yufeng did not have to do heavy physical work and raise the fetus well. Zhang Yufeng did not feel that he had become special, and he still did his best to do his work as before.
In this way, until a few hours before he gave birth, Zhang Yufeng was still working in Zhongnanhai.
On the evening of July 31, Zhang Yufeng felt pain in her lower abdomen, and Chairman Mao sensed that something was wrong with her and immediately sent someone to take her to the hospital.
The next day, Zhang Yufeng gave birth to a daughter smoothly, and the mother and daughter were safe.
When Zhang Yufeng went home to confinement, the Central Committee sent others to take care of Chairman Mao, but because he was not familiar with the chairman's temper, he could not take good care of the chairman at all. Chairman Mao also specially entrusted someone to bring a letter to Zhang Yufeng, instructing Zhang Yufeng to "return as soon as possible."
Originally, Zhang Yufeng, who was weak after giving birth to a child, was a little entangled in her heart, because her mother-in-law had something to do back to her hometown, and she could not take care of her, plus the child was too young, leaving the child she would miss and worry, so she hesitated to go back to Zhongnanhai to work.
Zhang Yufeng is with her husband and two daughters
But after she was well, she immediately returned to Zhongnanhai, because she also missed Chairman Mao in her heart.
Chairman Mao also became much happier because Zhang Yufeng returned, and he couldn't help but sigh: "Once you die, you know friendship." One poor and one rich, is to know the state of intercourse. One expensive and one cheap, friendship is seen. ”
In 1974, Chairman Mao suffered from old cataracts, and he could hardly see anything in his eyes, and Zhang Yufeng, as the chairman's confidential secretary, often had to read some confidential documents to Chairman Mao. However, Zhang Yufeng never leaked confidential information, she knew that this information was all confidential information that affected the overall situation of the country, she always forgot about it after listening to it, never asked Chairman Mao's internal affairs, and never "spoke" to the chairman.
Chairman Mao knew that Zhang Yufeng was conscientious and conscientious about her work, so he trusted her very much and gave Zhang Yufeng the key to his personal safe. Zhang Yufeng also did not live up to the trust of the chairman in her, and after the death of the chairman, she gave the key to the person who the chairman had given.
The Spring Festival of 1976 was the last Spring Festival in the life of the chairman, Zhongnanhai did not have the imaginary bustle, Chairman Mao's health was getting worse and worse, everyone was worried about him, and had no intention of celebrating the New Year. Chairman Mao's family did not accompany him, and Zhang Yufeng and the chairman's medical staff accompanied him through the last Spring Festival.
Chairman Mao slept less and less, and it was even difficult to get up again. In the early hours of the morning, firecrackers sounded outside to welcome the New Year, and the chairman listened to the sound of firecrackers and watched a group of young people around him just around him. Let Zhang Yufeng come to his side and tell Zhang Yufeng to take them out to set off cannons, and young people should also celebrate the festival.
After a while, the sound of firecrackers sounded in Zhongnanhai, and the crowd listened to the sound of firecrackers with auspicious meanings, and finally had the appearance that the New Year should have, and Chairman Mao also smiled happily.
Chairman Mao left in the golden autumn, and Zhang Yufeng will never forget that day, when the medical staff exhausted all kinds of rescue methods and failed to save the life of the chairman. One by one, the doctors signed their names with trembling hands on the list confirming the death.
In the afternoon of the same day, the Central Committee announced the news of Chairman Mao's death to the masses of the whole country, and the whole country mourned endlessly. Zhang Yufeng cried several times and fainted, slightly awake, and sat in the room in a daze, but the tears could not stop falling.
For Zhang Yufeng, Chairman Mao is like a father, always caring for himself.
Chairman Mao died, and Zhang Yufeng seemed to have lost his soul.
After that, Zhang Yufeng's work in Zhongnanhai ended, and she was assigned to work at the First Historical Archive of China. Due to the strong professionalism of this job, Zhang Yufeng struggled to do it, and soon after Zhang Yufeng applied to be transferred back to the original Ministry of Railways, became an ordinary cadre, and retired plainly.
Throughout his life, Chairman Mao treated the staff around him like his relatives, kind and natural. Zhang Yufeng won the unconditional trust of the chairman by virtue of his own ability, and later many people speculated about Zhang Yufeng, but Zhang Yufeng never explained too much, just laughed, this kind old man never showed off his identity, and did his work in peace.
And Zhang Yufeng's spirit of being conscientious about work and treating people sincerely is worth learning from each of us.